


Motel Encounters and a Defensive Sam

by argentscoyote



Series: About Riley [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 17:04:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8675566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argentscoyote/pseuds/argentscoyote
Summary: Sam has an unexpected encounter with Emmeline and Riley.





	

For the past twenty days, Sam hasn't been able to get Riley out of his head. He doesn't know why. If anything, it should be Emmeline whoplagues his thoughts. She's beautiful, so extraordinarily stunning that Sam's mind still goes woah at the thought of the sight of her clear blue eyes. He's pretty sure, based on a twang in her accent and her facial features, that she's ethnic, most likely Latina, and that just adds to the charm. So she should be the one he thinks about. But she's not. Her son is.

It's not anything creepy or inappropriate. It's...peaceful. A kind of calm Sam isn't used to. Riley is so young, represents all the innocence in the world, represents the way the world should be but not that the way it is. Riley is so unaware of all the evil there is, and that is a rare bliss. He can't get the sight out of his head, of wide hazel eyes staring up at him in such wonder and mystery.

Riley looked at Sam like Sam was good. Like Sam was pure.

Sam wasn't pure.

But he allows himself the leisure of having Riley think so, even if it was just for two minutes. It's not very often someone looks at Sam like he's a hero and not a freak. He's suddenly protective over the kid, suddenly filled with this burning desire to make sure Riley never has to know what he knows. Sam will slay all the demons and all monsters and stain his soul until it's darker than an abyss if it means Riley will never have to. Sam will go to hell and back all over again if it means Riley's purity would never have to be stained.

Sam will probably never see Riley again, but he can still ensure the world will be free of one more demon.

*

For his entire life, Dean has always been the only family Sam had. Of course, there was John, the loving father who's unconditional love for his late wife lead him onto a destructive road that brought nothing but pain and death for him and his family. John had tried his best to raise the two of them, but the man was often absent, away on a hunt, and when he was home... Let's just say things were always better when it was Dean looking after him.

As the years have gone by, people have come into their lives and slowly became the closest thing to a real family the boys had probably ever known. Ellen, Jo, Bobby, Charlie, Kevin. But they're all dead now. There's still Cas and Jody, thankfully, but the constant arrival and departure of people in their lives only make the bond between Dean and Sam stronger because at the end of the day they'll only ever have and need each other.

Except for right now. Because right now Dean needs to bang that blond bartender in the back of the Impala more than he needs to bond with Sam.

The walk back to the motel isn't too far, but it provides enough brooding time for Sam to curse and swear Dean in every language he knows. They had just wrapped up another case – a werewolf – and Sam was in no mood for this. All he wanted was to get buzzed and then sleep it off. But Dean is too hormonal for a simple night like that. So he walks.

And walks.

Until finally, he sees the motel sign ahead. It's like he can breathe air for the first time, he's filled with such relief. Sam is ready for a long, warm shower and a not-that-comfortable bed. He thinks of all the shows he could try to catch up on, but he doubts he'll get through the first episode before he passes out. Long strides carry him up the little hill and through the gates of the motel. As he passes the big neon sign that hangs above his head, mind still reeling with cursing Dean and the options for the evening activity, the sounds of a baby crying and shouting voices following catch his attention.

He stops and looks around for the source. The parking lot is deserted save for himself, and for a moment Sam struggles to find the direction of the cries. But his eyes gaze towards the area right outside the rooms, and the dim lighting reflects off a familiar head of curly golden hair. He squints, and walks forward, and sure enough, there is Emmeline, bouncing a crying Riley while the night manager of the motel shouts at her.

"Hey!" Sam calls out. Their heads turn to see him run across the parking lot. Emmeline's eyes grow wide with recognition, and her grip subconsciously tightens on Riley. When Sam reaches them, Emmeline suddenly so short next to his giant frame, he glances between the girl and the manager. "What's going on?"

The manager, an equally short balding man with a beer gut and a terrible mustache, raises an eyebrow at Sam. "Who the hell are you?"

Sam glances at Emmeline, who watches him with worried eyes, before turning back to the manager. "A friend. What's going on?"

The manager shakes his head, deciding Sam's relationship with Emmeline and Riley really isn't important and points an accusing finger at Emmeline. "That bitch's kid won't stop screaming and I've got complaints coming out of my ears!"

"Hey, hey," Sam warns. He has to speak up a little bit because Riley's screaming so loudly.

Emmeline is still bouncing Riley, trying to get him to calm down. All the shouting isn't helping. "Sam," she says, shaking her head. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Sam tells her before his attention is drawn back to the night manager.

"Listen to the bitch," the night manager says, waving his hand to dismiss Sam. "This ain't any of your damn business, anyway." The tall brunette raises his eyebrows. "Go away, freak."

All thoughts of relaxation fly out into the wind as Sam prepares himself to fight the belly in front of him. But then Riley screams again, and Emmeline hushes him and tries so desperately to calm him. Sam turns his head to look. Riley's face is red, puffy and stained with tears and snot. His mouth is dripping with saliva, and the hazel of his eyes are hidden behind a watery glass of tears. This is not the same Riley who rubbed his tiny hands against Sam's stubble at the grocery store in wonder and fascination. This is a kid who's clearly in pain.

The night manager's face widens with horror and fear as Sam turns back towards him. Sam's face is stern and angry, and the night manager takes a step back but Sam is too quick. He's in front of the manager in a heartbeat, and bends so he's closer to his face.

"Listen here, Oompa Loompa. Babies cry, it's what they do. You of all people should know. Now that woman over there is trying her damn hardest to calm that kid, who is clearly in pain, and your high pitched yelling ain't helping. She went through hours of labor and pain birthing that little miracle, she's entitled to a little struggle. So, if you want peace around here, show some damn respect and shut the hell up. And tell all those complainers the least they can do to respect all those who have to breathe the same air as them as they bitch about things that cannot be controlled is let the freaking baby cry until he feels better!"

The manager's dull green eyes darken with fear. He gulps, genuinely afraid of what Sam might be capable of evident on his greasy face, and he gives a curt nod to Emmeline as he stutters out, "s-sorry."

Sam watches in amusement as he then all but runs away, turning to see if Sam is following or not, before smacking face first into a pole. "Ohh," Emmeline winces. But the manager is unfazed and continues to run until his disappears around the side of the building.

Sam's laughing, grinning like an idiot as he thinks, "Dean would be proud of my insults."

"You didn't have to do that."

He turns around to find Emmeline looking towards the ground. She looks shy, a rose shade tinting her cheeks. Riley's still balling his eyes out, but she doesn't seem that fazed now that the manager is gone. This must happen allot.

"He was yelling at you," Sam says.

She shrugs. "Still. You didn't have to do that." He can tell that she means it. He didn't have to help her. People must not help her allot, either. She looks at Riley, and her face instantly softens. "Thank you. I don't know what I would've done."

"You're welcome," He tells her. Riley's taken note of the man in front of his mother. His face doesn't gleam with wonder, nor does he reach out his hands to feel Sam's facial hair. Instead, he just looks at Sam, lip sticking out as he leans into Emmeline. "He okay?" Sam asks, nodding his head towards Riley.

Emmeline shakes her head, and shifts to get a better hold on the crying baby. "He won't stop crying and I don't know how to make him stop. I've changed him, bathed him, fed him, tried rocking him everything. My mom says sometimes when babies cry you just need to let them cry, but I don't know," she looks at Riley again and places her hand on his head.

"He looks like he's in pain," Sam notes.

Emmeline nods in agreement. "I think he might be a bit sick."

Riley then lets out the loudest scream Sam's ever heard from a baby. Emmeline's expression is a mixture of sympathy, hurt, and the knowledge that, although she wants to do anything and everything to make him feel better, she knows she's useless. Her eyebrows are scrunched together as she holds Riley close to her chest, his tears and saliva stain her shirt. The look Emmeline wears in that moment is the exact same look Sam knows his mother should've worn instead of Dean.

It's quite the sight for Sam's eyes. Emmeline, in her attire of sweatpants and a t-shirt, curly hair pulled into a bun, holding her son close. He can see how hard this is for her, how hard it is for her not to be able to help him. He can also see how tired she is.

Sam might be overstepping he's boundaries – he's definitely overstepping his boundaries – but he takes a step towards her anyway, and asks in a soft voice, "Can I hold him?"

She's surprised, and for a moment, she holds Riley tighter. It's evident Emmeline's first thought is "no" as she looks at Sam with a taunt expression. Sam's ready to step back and apologize, ready to tell her it's a stupid question and he'll just leave. That's what he should do. That's what he's about to do. So he's a little surprised when Emmeline nods and holds Riley out to him.

Sam's cautious as he reaches forward, ready to jump back in case Emmeline changes her mind. Large hands grasp Riley's small body, and the minute Emmeline let's go, Sam pulls the baby close to his chest. He holds him so Riley's head rests on his left shoulder, and he bounces his knees as he pats the baby's back. To both of their surprise, Riley's cries soften, and Emmeline breathes with relief.

Sam smiles at her as he continues the motion. Riley's still crying, but soon it's just whimpers and the last bit of tears. The youngest Winchester walks to stand next to Emmeline, out of the wind and cold. She leans against the wall, relieved beyond belief that Riley's calm, and watches the two of them carefully. "You're good at this," she compliments.

"Really?" Sam asks, nose scrunched. "I've never done this before."

"Seriously?" Emmeline retorts with wide eyes as if she doesn't believe him. She doesn't. Twice now his managed to ease Riley's discomfort and that's not always easy.

Sam nods in confirmation, dimples on display as he reveals a shy smile.

"Well, for someone with no experience, you're pretty good at this." She leans forward, as if to whisper a secret to him. "He doesn't take to many people." It's then that she smiles, and as Sam realizes it's the first time he's ever seen it, he can't help but notice how pretty her smile is. She looks happy when she smiles, especially when her blue eyes gaze over Riley, who's pulling slightly on Sam's hair, and her eyes brighten and her smile widens. It's quite different from the worried, stern look he usually sees on her.

"So, are you staying here, or have you been following me?" The question makes Sam laugh, which in turn receives a giggle from Riley. He's no longer in pain, or at least if he is he's distracted now, and it's evident that that makes Emmeline happy.

"Uh, no," Sam explains. "Definitely not following you. I'm here with my brother, actually, but he's..." The look on Emmeline's face tells him he doesn't need to elaborate any further.

"What are you in town for?" She asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What is this, twenty questions?" Sam replies, eyebrows raised and smile lopsided.

"Hey," Emmeline points a finger at him. "You're holding my kid. I think that allows for some questions."

"You're right, you're right," Sam says. And she is. He's still pretty much a stranger to them – a stranger Riley seems to have taken to, but a stranger no less – and she is Riley's mother. But, how does one explain that they just killed a werewolf because one and one's brother are on a never ending road trip as hunters that go around the country killing monsters and demons, and almost break the world every once in a while?

"Business," he finally decides. Riley squirms a little, and Sam loosens his grip to allow the baby some free movement. Emmeline quirks an eyebrow at him. He needs to explain further. "Uh, we're mobile. Go wherever we're called."

"What do you do?"

Things that make it unwise for you let me hold your child.

"Pest control." As soon as the words are out of his mouth, his swearing himself. He even turns his body to face away from her just so he can actually mouth the words. When he turns back, smiling as wide as ever, Emmeline has that suspicious look again.

"I call bull."

"What?"

"I call bull," she repeats, this time a little slower so she can enunciate the words. "With the way you look, there's no way you do pest control. And who the hell travels across the country for pest control?"

She's smart. Smart enough to see through Sam's façade. She knows he's lying, and if she knows he's lying she's most likely going to take Riley away from him within the next sixty seconds. Riley feels nice in Sam's arms, soft and smooth. "Okay, not pest control. That was lame on my part," he tries to smile, but Emmeline isn't giving him anything. He sighs. "Okay, truth is I'm kind of unemployed." She tilts her head. "I was a student at Stanford, and then my girlfriend died, so my brother took me on a road trip. Grief process, help me deal with it. We're in town on a road trip."

Good. Believable because it's mainly true. Still, Emmeline is nodding and pursing her lips like she doesn't believe him. "Uh ha, and how long ago were you a student at Stanford?"

"Eleven years ago."

He knows exactly what she's thinking, and she knows he does. She nods along as if to say, "oh yeah, totally not suspicious or weird". Sam wants to say something, anything to prove his innocence, but anything he says will only make him sink deeper, so he stays quiet. Emmeline doesn't move. She just stands there and stares at him. She doesn't ask him any further questions, which he finds a bit strange. It's only when Riley tugs a little too hard on Sam's hair –"o-ow."- does she step forward and take him back.

"Sorry about that," she tells him. If she was suspicious of him, Riley's distracted her now. "He's pulling on everything at the moment."

"It's okay." Sam looks around and spots the door of his and Dean's motel room a couple of doors down. "You guys okay? You have a room?"

There's a pause as if she doesn't want to answer his questions.

"Yeah," she finally says. Riley pulls at her top, and Emmeline is quick to hold it in place. "He stopped crying so hopefully we don't get kicked out." Riley smiles when she looks at him and reaches his hand to touch her face. She moves at the last second so he doesn't grab a curl of her hair.

"If he gives you any problems," the look on his face tells her he means both Riley and the night manager, "let me know."

She has that look on her face again. That look that tells him she's surprised he'll still offer her help, the look that says "you don't have to do that". He doesn't move, doesn't falter. Her expression shifts. Sam's being real with her, and she doesn't know how to respond.

"Thank you, Sam." Is all she find to say. He can tell that she means it. "Good night."

"Good night, Emmeline."

And then she turns around and walks away. Sam stays until he watches her open one of the doors. She even stops to let Riley wave goodbye.

*

The life does not bring much. It brings pain and heartache and death. Every once in a while, though, there is that sensation that comes when you're in the swing of things, guns blazing and slashing this way and that, and as the climax slowly dwindles down, there's a realization: you just saved someone's life. Because of you, because you chose to sacrifice the good life, people can live theirs. That makes it worth it for Sam and Dean. That feeling, that pride, that knowledge of "that person is alive because of me" - that is what gives them the tiniest sense of purpose.

So when Sam hears that the two girls they had saved from the heart hungry werewolf just a few hours ago were murdered, it hurts. Allot.

He sits in the motel room alone, Dean out somewhere and Riley and Emmeline clear from his mind. The laptop is in front of him, and there's this gripping sensation that tightens around his heart, and soon breathing becomes a bit more restricted. Death is something Sam is familiar with - he shouldn't have this feeling. He barely knows the people. But he saved them and now they are dead. It affects him. Paralyzes him in a way that leaves him sitting in the same spot staring at the same screen for hours, even after the screen has timed out and his left staring at nothing but his own reflection. The shock is real. It shouldn't be. People he's saved have died before. Everyone he saves is going to die eventually. But there's something about it that just upsets him.

His finger clicks on the mouse before he can even think about it, before life returns to the screen.

 

*

 

_Best friends Emalia Gray and Daisy Skyson were found dead in Skyson's family home in the late afternoon yesterday. The pair appeared to have been gunned down, Skyson shot in the head twice and Gray shot in the neck once. They were discovered by Skyson's brother, Gerard, who describes the site as "The most gruesome and heartbreaking sight I've ever seen. I've never felt so sick before. There was so much blood." It is clear that Gerard, much like many of the family and friends of the two, will never be the same again. Both families ask for privacy as they grieve the loss of two very bright and very beautiful girls._

 

*

 

Sam has no idea what to make of it. They had already solved the case, and beside Willard the Werewolf, there's no one who would possibly want to harm Emalia and Daisy. Both were honor students, both served in the community, and both were described as "the nicest girl you'll ever meet". And they weren't just killed - they were murdered. But by who? There was no one he could think of. And the language of it - appeared to be? What does that even mean? You either get shot or you don't. There was no reasoning behind the murders, either. No mention of robbery, or if the girls were targeted. Nothing. None of it made sense.

Sam could feel a headache coming on thinking about it. Perhaps he was overanalyzing, the job making him see things that weren't there. People are murdered and sometimes there's no reasoning behind it. It's sad, but it's true. Sam had done his job. Everything after that is out of his hands, and that includes when and how Emalia Gray and Daisy Skyson die.

Sam decides to go bed after that. He spends the rest of the night in his motel room, half-awake and listening for Riley's scream.

They never come.

 

 


End file.
